Workers unfurl a large banner of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II above the entrance to the Technical University of Berlin (Reuters)

The obvious place to start is the family tree, although unfolding it is enough to make even the most seasoned genealogist reach for a stiff drink. Yet what comes across very clearly — and very quickly — is that there is a lot of German in it.

There is no real starting point, but we may as well begin with 1714. Queen Anne died, and her direct Stuart line came juddering to a halt. This caused a thorny problem because her 50 (or thereabouts) closest suitable relatives were all Catholic, so distinctly non grata. They were passed over, and in the end Georg Ludwig, the Protestant Prince Elector of Hanover, got the job, and our royal house changed from Stuart to Brunswick-Lūneburg-Hanover, bringing with it a wealth of connections to the ancient royal houses of Welf and Este.

It is worth pausing to note that, until recently, members of the Royal Family had no surname. They customarily used first names and the name of their house, which was inherited from the father (Richard the Lionheart was a Plantagenet, Henry VIII was a Tudor, George I was a Hanover).

The Queen and Prince Philip meet the cast of the Richard Strauss opera 'Der Rosenkavalier' after a gala performance at the National Theatre in Munich in 1965

When World War One bred increasing anti-German sentiment in Britain, astute observers noted that Kaiser Bill was Queen Victoria’s grandson and our King George V’s first cousin. In recognition of the delicacy of the position, George V changed the name of his royal house from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor, after the castle. At the same time, he also took the modern step of adopting Windsor as a surname for his family.

On her accession, Queen Elizabeth II chose to keep the name Windsor, and in 1960 the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh announced that they wanted their descendants who do not have an HRH title to be Mountbatten-Windsor. (Mountbatten is the Duke of Edinburgh’s adopted name. His German-Danish-Greek royal lines are Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glūcksburg on his father’s side, and Battenberg on his mother’s.)

On the other hand, there’s no point overstating it. The Queen is also directly descended from over a thousand years worth of Britain’s royal houses, including the Stuarts, Tudors, Plantagenets, Angevins, Normans, and Wessex.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh meet dignitaries at a banquet in Mainz during their state visit to West Germany in May 1978

It is, in fact, worth remembering that the word “English” is derived from the Angles, of Anglo-Saxon fame. When the Romans cleared out of Britain in AD 410, a range of German, Danish, and Dutch tribes that we sloppily call the Anglo-Saxons moved in from across the Whale Road. That’s not forgetting the Vikings either, who brought Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish blood to swathes of Britain. So, to be honest, if we scrutinise the Royal Family’s connections with the Fatherland, we should take a long look at our own, too, and acknowledge that this country has had the most profound and close genetic and cultural ties with the people of Germany and Scandinavia for over 1,500 years.

To put it in perspective, the Queen’s family have lived in Britain for many centuries. She speaks English as her first language and French fluently. Not German. She was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair. She grew up largely at 145 Piccadilly, Richmond Park, and Windsor Great Park. She served in the war as a mechanic and driver with the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service. She is unostentatious, supremely diplomatic, and often seen laughing. She rides without a hat, enjoys playing the Nintendo WII, and is fond of racing pigeons. Most especially of all, she is known throughout the world for her keen love of dogs and horses.

How much more British could HM be? Seriously?

How the Royal family became British

1701

Catholics are banned from the throne

The protestant King William III has no direct heirs, and his crown could soon pass to a Catholic. To prevent this, Parliament passes the Act of Settlement, locking them out of the succession.

1714

George I becomes King

William's sister-in-law Queen Anne dies without children. The crown skips over 56 of her close Catholic relations to rest on George Ludwig, ruler of the German state of Hanover. He speaks very little English and relies on his ministers to run Britain for him.

1761

The Georges go native

George III takes the throne. He is still a Hanoverian, but unlike his father and grandfather he was born in London and speaks English as a first language.

1819

Queen Victoria is born

A succession crisis prompts George III's fourth son Edward to marry the princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Their daughter, Victoria, will end up Queen - and marry her German cousin Albert.

1917

The family renounces its German roots

Victoria's line continues as the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. But the First World War - and the Russian revolution - call for a royal rebrand. George V renames it the House of Windsor.

1947

Elizabeth marries Prince Philip

Philip is a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. But, with the Second World War fresh in Britain's memory, he abandons these titles before his marriage.

1952

Long live the Windsors

As Philip's wife, the just-crowned Queen Elizabeth should theoretically adopt his name - Mountbatten. Instead, on the advice of Winston Churchill, she proclaims the continuation of the House of Windsor. It still bears that name today.